IchiRuki arc
by SilentRage13
Summary: So this is a start of a certain ichiruki arc if i get at least 10 reviews, that is  if it will, I have a nice idea about draggin Rukia to hell, and get Ichigo to save her from there. please rate
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is my first fanfiction EVER so please don't judge too harsh))

Ichigo was slowly waking up. While he was still somewhere in between the world and his dreams, he felt something... Different. He couldn't tell what it was, but it felt amazing. It was familiar too, like, something that he missed for a long time, finally coming back to it's place. He slowly opened his eyes, and a realization hit him- he felt HER reiatsu. He slowly turned his head to the closet and his eyes widened- the door wasn't shut completely, just enough for him to see a ruckus of black hair. It was still early, and a golden sun ray lit up her beautiful face. Ichigo looked At her with a smile that he didn't have for 17 months. A smile of happiness. "Rukia" he whispered. She smiled in her sleep as she hugged her pillow and murmured "Ichigo).." Ichigo sat there, speechless. (Not that he had to say anything but the scene surprised as well as enlightened him) hell knows how long he would just look at her, but his attention was drawn to the pillow that Rukia tightly held to her chest.

Quiet giggling was coming from... the pillow? Ichigo rubbed his sleepy eyes and saw it. It wasn't a pillow. It was

"Kon!"- Ichigo shouted. Rukia quickly opened her eyes, looking at Ichigo with a look that he knew way too well- he was going to be killed.

'What the hell are you?.." she suddenly stopped as she felt something rubbing against her chest. "Heavenly valley, heavenly valley, heavenl- MFFGHH!.." Kon was sent flying across the room, right into Ichigo's hand.

"Well now, how should we kill him? I say rip hi apart and then burn down to the last stitch, what do you think, Rukia?"

"Let me beat him up first"

"Sure" Kon was kicking in the air, trying to get away from Ichigo's death grip. Just about when he was about to be ripped to pieces, the door suddenly opened and Isshin flew inside with a war cry "Good morning Ichigoooo!" the said teen easily evaded the attack and threw Kon in his pathetic father's face. Isshin broke through the window along with Kon. Ichigo yawned and went back to sleep.

"Its lively as always here, I missed this so much..." rukia said with an innocent sleepy smile. Ichigo sat on his bed, with a sad smile on his face

"It wasn't even close to lively while you were gone. Why didn't you ever visit? Everyone missed you so much..."

"Yeah, I missed everyone as well... "

"So why didn't you?" Ichigo looked at her with a sad frown

"I-" she was cut off as they both heard a hollow scream.

"Heh, let's go, it's been a while since I've hunt hollows with you)" Ichigo said with a smirk

"Just like the old times, eh?" Rukia said before she threw a soul candy in her mouth

Ichigo took off his shirt to to get a clean one, Rukia blushed a little as she saw his nicely shaped torso. Ichigo noticed that and muscevously grinned

"Like my abs, midget?)) well I guess you can't help it with a body as hot as mine."

Rukia rolled her eyes

"Aw, but you're as flat chested as ev... ev..." Ichigo couldn't finish the goddamn sentence. When he was about to finish, Rukia stretched with a yawn. Only then did Ichigo notice, that Rukia's breasts have obviously gotten bigger. He started to blush himself. Rukia victoriously thought

"Looks like Rangiku's diet really paid off! Look at him, he can't even put two words together!" then she spoke out loud with a mischievous smile

"What were you saying, Strawberry?)"

" Y-you sure have grown." Ichigo was really stunned, as he noticed all the other changes- Rukia herself has grown a lot about 4 inches or so, so did her hair. Now it was a little below her shoulders. But of course, the main thing that knocked him off was her chest. It didn't grow that much, but considering her previous flat chest, the growth was quite noticeable, it was weird that he didn't notice all of that before. Rukia was always beautiful, she had that gentleness to her, and now all of her best features were sort of emphasized. She was the same old Rukia, just... hotter.

All of those thoughts fit in about 5 seconds in Ichigo's head.

"L-let's go, before that hollow messes something up..." he muttered and was about to jump out the window, when she touched his shoulder from behind.

"Wait, I wanna try something out. It's been a while since I rode on your back. You better hold me tight" Rukia said. Good thing he wasn't looking at her, because she would die of embarrassment, as her face was already tomato red. She wrapped her hands around his neck and jumped on his back. Ichigo reached for her legs, but went a little lower and grabbed her butt. His face quickly became red, and then pale as he was expecting her to smack him. However, she did no such thing, instead she was quietly sitting there, with her face about to explode. Ichigo was surprised, and he couldn't hold back his thoughts

"That's one nice butt.." then he quickly shifted his hands to her legs and jumped out of the window, with both their faces red as hell.

Isshin looked at them from the grass that he has landed before, smiling happily

"I'll be having grandchildren!" Ichigo heard that, so did Rukia. Ichigo screamed

"Shut the hell up!" His father only smiled, thinking

"I still have a lot to teach you, boy" Ichigo definitely could read his father's mind. He took his Zangetsu and shouted "GETSUGATENSHO !" a huge moon fang flew towards Ssshin who was thinking with a smile

" It's ok, I can die happy now. " Ichigo kept going as he watched his father's toasted body, when he saw Isshin raise his hand gave him a thumbs up.

"I swear I'm gonna kill him next time… Che, damn that old geezer... Where is that hollow again?"

Rukia pointed in a roof of a certain building

"Your sense of direction still sucks as hell" Rukia gave out a gentle, rather cute chuckle, while Ichigo frowned

"Whatever, midget" Ichigo grinned when Rukia started blush in anger:

"I've grown, you said that yourself!" Ichigo made a trollface:

"Everybody lies" Right after that he felt a slipper hit his head quite hard. But then Rukia smirked

"You didn't seem like you were lying. Your face stated quite the opposite. I wonder what exactly surprised you that much" Ichigo's face flared up in an instant, as another realization hit him-her chest was pressing against his back. He really felt it right now. Rukia understood what was going on in his head right away. To make it worse, she "accidentally" almost fell off, which caused Ichigo to grab her butt once again to keep her from falling. He had an indescribable face. A mixture of shame joy, confuse and anger. Rukia was blushing, as that was very bold of her. In her mind she cursed and thanked Rangiku for everything she has done to her, long hours of training, dress ups and make ups. Rukia didn't enjoy any of that, but she wanted to make a certain someone acknowledge her… as a woman. And so far, it was working perfectly.

"So what was it?" Rukia wanted to hear an answer, even though she knew that Ichigo's face was hot enough to melt an iceberg.

"Damn it, that hollow is about to eat a soul!" Ichigo shouted as he flash stepped right to the scene

Ichigo quickly landed behind a hollow, and let Rukia down.

"This should be quick..." he said with a still face. He drew Zangetsu and hit the hollow from behind, slicing it in two. As the hollow disappeared, Ichigo put the sword aside, coming up to Rukia.

"You wanna grab something to eat? I know a nice cafe near this place, they've got some pretty good pancakes, and they draw rabbits with honey on top"

Ichigo smirked as Rukia's eyes were glowing with excitement

"I do I do I do I do! Let's go, why are we still standing there, damn it? Chappy get over here!" Ichigo chuckled-It was the same old Rukia, nothing has changed.

"I'm here Pyon!" Rukia quickly got into her body. Chappy already changed from pajamas to a blouse with a skirt, and Ichigo couldn't help but be stunned once again.

"You are so damn beautiful…"

Rukia tried to do her best not to blush, as she quickly thanks him and grabbed his hand.

"Let's go)" they went to the cafe, Ichigo ordered everything as if he knew what would Rukia want before even she did. After the pancakes with honey bunnies on them, the desert came. It was vanilla ice cream with a lot of strawberries on top of them. They silently ate for a few minutes, until Ichigo asked:

"So… do you like this place?"

"It's incredible, nothing like soul society! The food is relly delicious too!"

"I'm glad you like it, I've been coming here almost every day after you left, I thought you might like this place too" Ichigo smiled a little

"You definitely thought right" Rukia's face melted in a gorgeous smile, as she dug into her pile of strawberries. Ichigo couldn't help but smile at her. Rukia noticed that, and asked with a full mouth

"What?" Ichigo chuckled, as he grabbed a tissue and wiped Rukia's nose, since it's tip was covered in ice cream. Rukia didn't see that one coming. Hell no she didn't. It surprised her to the extent, that she spit all of the strawberries and ice cream that was in her mouth, on Ichigo's face. Silence. Then she exploded, laughing as hard as her body could handle. She kept laughing as Ichigo took another tissue, and started to wipe his face with it.

"I don't think this will help, I'll go wash it" Ichigo plainly said.

"Yeah, go _Ichigo_(strawberry)" Rukia said, still laughing.

"Very funny" Ichigo rolled his eyes as he walked.

"Weird, he's not angry one bit. Ichigo…" Rukia's face became concerned, as she was in deep thought about what to do

"Can I tell him? Do I have the right to do so? After all, I've been nothing but a nuisance to him, I practically ruined his life… he would be so much better off without me…"

"That's not true, Kuchiki-san" a gentle but cheerful voice behind her said. It could be no one's but

"Inoue-san!" Rukia's eyes widened as she saw her "You heard me talking to myself?.." Rukia slightly blushed.

"Yeah, and you are definitely wrong. You know, before you came, Kurosaki always frowned. I mean he still does it, but it was different back then" Rukia was confused

"How so?" she asked with a troubled look

"Well, at that time, it was more like… his frown meant nothing more than sadness, anger, indifference to everyone, coldness, even loneliness sometimes. He had all of his friends, but something was still missing. But then you came, Kuchiki-san" Rukia's eyes widened, as Inoue smiled

"Kurosaki actually started to smile, truly smile. His frown didn't disappear, but it most certainly changed. It no longer meant sadness, anger, indifference, coldness or loneliness. Now, it was confidence, concern for his friends, and the power to protect them. I couldn't do any of that, no matter how hard I tried…" Inoue looked a little down

"Inoue…" Rukia looked concerned

"But you were able to, Kuchiki-san. You changed him, saved even. And when you were gone, that frown, that desperate frown returned. But there was more loneliness than ever. He missed you, Kuchiki-san, that much I could tell. He wasn't himself, really. And he never, ever truly smiled in those 17 months. He tried to fake one, to prevent everyone from worrying, but he didn't fool me. Kuchiki-san" Inoue held Rukia's hand

"He needs you. And from the looks of it, you need him just as much" Inoue mischievously smiled

Rukia blushed, but still replied

"I really do" Rukia looked at Inoue, with a grateful smile

"Well then, I gotta go, Uryuu is waiting for me outside (slight blush), see you later, Kuchiki-san!" Inoue ran out as sudden, as she had appeared. Rukia smiled, as she thought "Uryuu, huh"

Ichigo finally came back. His face was now clean, but there was something about him, something different. As if he was hesitating to ask or say something.

_Flashback_

_Ichigo walked to the bathroom, just to find Renji inside. _

"_What the hell are you doing here?" Ichigo asked with a sincere surprise._

"_Nothing much, just dropped by to have a bite. On the other hand, what are you doing here? And why are you covered in strawberries and some white-ish substance?" Renji looked at Ichigo, trying hard not to laugh_

"_Aw, I just brought Rukia here, I thought she might enjoy the place" Ichigo replied quickly, with a slight blush on his cheeks. That moment Renji's face spread in a huge grin._

"_Ho, you're on an early date then?" Ichigo blushed even more, so he just started to violently wash his face. _

"_Nn wr nrtrt nn dtt" Ichigo replied while washing his face_

"_Stop washing your face, I can't understand a damn thing" Renji rolled his eyes "You love her, don't you?"_

_Ichigo almost choked. Renji chuckled, and then said "No point denying it now-"_

"_Even if I do, that doesn't mean anything. I'll never be good enough for her. She needs someone like you. If you asked her, I'm sure she would tell the same-" _

"_And what if I did ask her?" Renji said seriously. Ichigo's eyes widened at those words._

"_What exactly did you do?" Ichigo's heart was beating slow, but every beat was like a kick in the chest. _

"_I confessed that I love her" Renji said plainly. _

"_And?" Ichigo couldn't feel the earth at that time_

"_She apologized, and said that she already loves someone." Renji sighted._

"_Sh-She rejected you? But weren't you friends, since, like, forever?" Ichigo couldn't believe in Renji's words_

"_Yeah, we are, but apparently, that is not something that she needs. And I think that something, is you, Kurosaki." Ichigo looked at Renji with wide eyes_

"_What?.."_

"_You heard me. She needs you."_

"_That can't be true. After all the pain I've brought her, she most definitely can't even like an idiot like me. She always saves me, and I'm never really helpful to her. I won't deny, I need her more than anything else in this world, but that won't do. That thought is selfish. I want to be useful, I want to protect her, I want to make her happy. But will she really be happy with me?"_

"_You really are dense, Ichigo." Renji massaged his temples_

"_What did you say?" Ichigo replied angrily_

"_I SAID YOU ARE DENSE, KUROSAKI ICHIGO! SHE NEEDS YOU GODDAMN IT, WHY IS YOUR SKULL SO THICK THAT CAN'T EVEN SEE THAT? For those 17 months, the only thing she did talk about, aside from work, was you. And whenever she wasn't talking, your name was written all over her face. All those physical changes were all meant for you, idiot. She wanted to attract you, since she thought that she wasn't pretty enough for you. So stop being a coward, get out there and tell her what do you REALLY think of her!" Ichigo stood there in shock. Renji took a deep breath after that long speech. Ichigo quickly got a grip on himself, and said, with a face as serious as ever_

"_Thank you, Renji, I will" Renji only smirked, and walked out._

_Flashback end_

So he said, but apparently, it was more difficult that it sounded

Author's note: Sort of a crappy cliffy) I'll continue even if i only get 10 reviews, they will be greately appreciated ^^


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Thank you so much for the kind reviews, I was incredibly happy and surprised when i saw them, because I definitely didn't expect THAT. Thank you all so much! I'll do my appreciation corner in the next chapter, i promise. I said that I would make the second chapter only if I get at least 10 reviews, but after seeing those comments, I just couldn't hold back. Thank you again, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too, please review! ^_^

Ichigo was sitting there, unsure of what exactly should he say to Rukia. He had no idea that the person sitting across the table was having the exact same problem. She was slowly eating what was left of her ice-cream. Inoue's words were echoing in her head:

"He needs you, just as much as you need him..." Ichigo on the other hand, was thinking about what Renji has said go him:

"She was talking only about you and whenever she wasn't, your name was written all over her face..." Ichigo was sitting with a poker face but his inner world was in chaos. Ichigo closed his eyes for a second, and the world around him froze, just like when he fought Kenpachi for the first time. He looked around his inner world, and the bizarre scenery shocked him. The skyscrapers were as high as ever, and the world was no longer under water. But it was far from normal. The sun was shinny brightly, but there were a lot of storm clouds, lightning kept hitting here and there, the wind was incredibly strong, nevertheless the sun was shining brightly. Then he saw him. His Soul. Tensa Zangetsu and Hichigo unified in one body.

"Yo, king, what's up?" He asked with a small smile."Long time no see, how long has it been? About a year and a half, I think? I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. It took your father 10 tears to regain his powers. What exactly happened?" his Soul(lets just call it like that, for the meantime, as I don't really know what's his name…) stood there with a satisfied look on his face, as he stretched, as if after a long slumber

"I'm not sure. Yesterday Rukia stabbed me with some kind of a reiatsu sword, which gave me my powers back." Ichigo sat down, leaning on some kind of a wall. They were on top of a skyscraper, and Ichigo looked up on his Soul, indicating that he was listening.

"I see... So that's what drew me forth from the deepest part of your soul..."

"What?" Ichigo looked at him, confused.

"I was locked deep inside your soul, in some sort or a barrier, for 17 months. And yesterday, someone came. She was beautiful, the most beautiful Zanpakutou I have ever seen."

"Zanpaktou?"

"Yes, a zanpaktou, that much I could tell. Since you said that it was Rukia that stabbed you, I suppose that was Shirayuki. I'm not sure how, but through that sword she came down here and broke the cage. It's rare for a different soul to enter someone's body like that, more so to break the seal..."

Ichigo sat there in deep thought.

"Rukia... She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

Ichigo lowered his eyes, thinking about the mentioned midget.

"Yeah, and you know that better than anyone..."

His soul only smiled

"So what do you plan on doing? For starters, you can stop the storm of doubt in here" his Soul chuckled

"What am I supposed to say to her? I've never been through this kind of a thing. I've never been afraid of the highest heights, I've never been afraid of the wildest fights, but this scares the hell out of me!"

"Yeah, I can see that" his soul laughed, while looking around.

"I'd rather fight Aizen again..."

His soul laughed "I know, but this is something that you need to do. "

Ichigo desperately went through his hair, then he took a deep breath and said

"Thanks. Aw, how exactly should I address you?"

"I'll tell you that the next time we meet. And you better stop the storm by that time" his Soul looked dead serious on Ichigo

"Ah" Ichigo said, as he slowly disappeared, leaving his Soul alone. As he left, Soul looked to the sky, where the outer world was displayed through Ichigo's eyes:

"Aw this should be interesting" he sat down, looking up to the sky.

Ichigo opened his eyes, seeing Rukia in the exact same spot as before. He stood still for a second, then grabbed all of his manhood and thought "Screw it all!" and said out loud

"Rukia, there's something I need to tell you." he looked at her, with eyes full of determination

"Yeah, me too" she replied as she looked away with a slight blush.

They stood silent for a few seconds, looking each other in the eyes. The deep violet orbs were looking straight into those burning amber eyes, trying to look deep inside his soul. Down there, Soul, looking at Rukia through Ichigo's eyes, felt a chill in his spine "I swear, for a moment I thought she could see me…" On the outside Ichigo finally murmured "I love you"

"What did you say? I didn't get that" Rukia looked at Ichigo as he was slowly turning red. She was confused about what was happening

"I said I ..."

"Can you speak louder? I can't hear a thing you're sayi- MNMNM!" her eyes widened as Ichigo leaned over the table and kissed her. His eyes were closed, and his face had a little blush on it. Rukia stood there for a second, but then she closed her eyes and gave in for a deeper, more intimate kiss. They stood like that for a minute, neither of them wanted to pull away. This was more than a kiss. This was a reunion, this was everything that they wanted to tell each other for so long, it wasn't just their lips that touched, it was their hearts that were binding. This new, warm sensation was new for the both of them, and they didn't want this to ever end. The world was gone, leaving only the two of them behind. But then at last Ichigo pulled away, as he was running out of breath(for some reason he didn't breath throughout the kiss). He sat down in his place, and quickly looked away, with a slight blush crawling up to his face. Rukia sat there, still shocked at what just happened, and a little disappointed that it has ended. Then her dark side took over, and she said

"What was that again? I still can't hear you" She said with a small smile on her lips

"I think that was pretty clear" Ichigo finally let go of all his uneasiness and looked straight at her

"I want to hear it"

"Why?"

"I.. I just want to, is that so hard for you?"

Ichigo looked away for a second, and then leaned over the table in an attempt to kiss her again. She put her fingers on his lips, smiling

"Na-ah, you are not getting away that easily again"

"Aw for heaven's sake-" he was cut off as he saw something outside the window that they were sitting in front of. His eyes widened as he saw a pair of binoculars. Two pairs. Three. Hell, there were so damn many of them! Rukia looked to where Ichigo was looking, and her face instantly flared up. She saw them. Everyone. All of their human world friends, including Isshin, along with some people from SS, like Renji, Rangiku, Yoruichi and so on. Judging from their happy faces, they saw the entire thing. But then, Ichigo and Rukia spotted someone. Both their faces paled at the sight-Kuchiki Byakuya was looking right at them. Ichigo didn't need binoculars to see Byakuya's expression. Silent rage. That steel face, with eyes that were burning with fury. Ichigo was going to be killed.

"What do we do?" Rukia looked concerned at Ichigo, and she was stunned-Ichigo looked more relaxed than ever

"First of all, we finish our breakfast" he said nonchalantly, as he took a sip from the cup of hot chocolate that was brought just a minute ago."

"You do know that he will kill you for… that" Rukia replied, as she looked at the cup, not sure to drink it or not

"For kissing you." Rukia almost spit the chocolate that she finally decided to try "I don't care. Even if Yamamoto himself showed up, I wouldn't bother" Ichigo looked calm and his confidence spread to Rukia, as she was finally able to relax as well

"But why? " Rukia looked a little confused

"Because I love you, idiot" Ichigo gently smiled at her

"Ichigo…" Her eyes were about to be filled with tears, but she held them back and said

"Well then, I also need to tell you something" This time she leaned over the table and kissed Ichigo, even more aggressive that he kissed her. This time it was a longer, more passionate kiss. Rukia gently grabbed the back of his head, running her fingers through his spiky hair. Finally she pulled away, leaving a stunned Ichigo behind. He was frozen for a second, then he looked at her and said

"I still need to hear it from you" he smirked

"Hmmm, I'll think about it" She replied playfully

They both talked and talked for about 20 minutes, completely ignoring the people outside the café. The café itself was near the Karakura park, and the "IchiRuki fans", together with Byakuya were in that very park, about 300 meters from the café. Sometimes Ichigo glanced outside, just to see his giggling Dad, his happy friends and Byakuya with an expression that can no longer be described.

Then finally they asked for the receipt, of course Ichigo paid, and they exited the café. As soon as they were out, Byakuya appeared right next to them, looking at Ichigo

"I think we need to talk, now" Byakuya's voice was calm, yet it held a lot of anger and hatred.

"Agreed" Ichigo's face was unreadable, as it was covered by his hair. It was as long as when he fought Aizen for the last time. Everyone kept telling him that he looked more badass with that kind of hair, so he kept it like that ever since.

Ichigo hit himself with the badge, and they both disappeared and then reappeared far from the city, on some kind of a grass field. Ichigo's face was serious as always, with his signature frown on his face. Pretty much, the only time that he didn't wear that frown and serious face, was when he was around Rukia. She was the only reason for his sincere smile, aside from his sisters of course.

"I don't think talking will get us anywhere" Ichigo said in a calm voice

"For once in my life, I agree with you" Byakuya gripped the tilt of his sword, as Ichigo reached for his new form of Zangetsu.

They both took a leap backwards, to create some space between them. They looked each other in the eyes. Ichigo looked at Byakuya with a calm yet determined face. Bangs covered up the most of his forehead, leaving only his burning eyes open. That was the look of when he fought Byakuya for the first time. That was the look of when he faced Aizen for the last time. Any ordinary person would shiver under that glare. But Byakuya was way too far from ordinary.

His stance was proud and confident, as always. He had a small frown on his face, his grey eyes trying to pierce Ichigo, trying to get a look inside his soul. Inside Ichigo, Soul was murmuring "Damn those Kuchiki, always peeking inside here…"

They both stood like that, with their swords ready. The wind was strong, and there were a lot of clouds. The sun was hidden by a small cloud. And when the sun came out, it started. They both disappeared, and instantly reappeared in another place with their swords crossed. They were striking each other on the same level of skill, without using any kind of abilities or kido, aside from shunpo. After about 10 minutes of pointless duel, they both stopped at the places where they were originally standing. Neither of them was even scratched, more so wounded. The wind was messing with their hair, as they looked at each other again.

"This is pointless, simple sword skills won't prove anything" Byakuya said to his opponent.

"Prove? Are we fighting to prove anything?" Ichigo said with a serious look

"What do you think the point of this fight is, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"I am here to defend my place beside Rukia. I do not really think that I need to protect it, but you obviously think otherwise"

"And what makes you think that you are even close to being good enough to stand beside her?" Byakuya's eyes narrowed

"I love her, and I would do anything for her. I can and I will protect her from anything, and I will give her everything that she needs or ever wishes for" Ichigo's frown deepened

"Prove it" Byakuya said as he let go of his sword and it sank to the ground

"Gladly" Ichigo almost whispered as he gripped Zangetsu with his two hands

Then the both of them shouted from the bottom of their hearts

"Bankai!"

Pillars of black and white reiatsu shoot to the sky, and it was as if the world split in two- one side was pure white, and the other sank into darkness. Then all of that insane reiatsu focused itself in two shinigami. Ichigo was standing there, with his right arm wrapped in a black chain, as he looked at Byakuya. He was merely standing there as a beautiful pink wave of petals was forming behind him.

"I have defeated your petals a long time ago. Do you really think you can defeat me with that?"

"I am not planning on using that. I'll go straight to the point. _Endscape, Hakuteiken!" _he shouted as all of those petals melt into huge white wings on his back and giving a pure white sword.

"Heh, it's been a while, but the only attack I have is still getsuga tensho…Come to think of it, we were fighting for Rukia that time as well, weren't we?" Ichigo slightly smiled at the nostalgia

"Ah. That time, you defeated me, and you actually convinced me. But can you do it this time, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Byakuya looked at him as he gripped his sword tighter and more white reiatsu gathered on his back

"We won't know until we try, will we?" Ichigo smirked as he held his sword with two hands and a storm of black fire-like reiatsu surrounded him. Then he focused all of that in his sword, and engulfed it in black flames. For the last time they looked each other in the eye and started running towards one another. As they were a meter away from each other Ichigo pointed his sword forward in an attempt to pierce the chest, Byakuya did the same and their swords collided. An insane tornado of black and white reiatsu surrounded them and kept getting bigger in an attempt to destroy everything around them. But as suddenly as it appeared it started to calm down and dissipate into air, revealing the two men in the epicenter of it.

_To be continued…_

Author's note: yeah, crappy, I know. I pretty much suck at fighting scenes, but what do you think?)


	3. Chapter 3

As the dust from the explosion went down, it revealed the two figures standing in the middle of it. Their swords were crossed and their burning eyes were locked on each other. Ichigo had a little cut on his cheek and his arm. Byakuya, however, was in pretty bad condition. His hayori was blown off, his robe was torn in several pieces and he had cuts all over his body. He was breathing heavily but he firmly stood his ground.

"You have gotten stronger" he said in a calm voice despite his breathing difficulty.

Ichigo replied with an unchanged look on his face

"More than you think. And that is why I believe that I have the power to protect the ones dear to me."

Byakuya looked in his eyes, still trying to find something in those amber eyes of Ichigo. And then his eyes widened a little as he realized: this wasn't the arrogant, ignorant disrespectful overconfident shinigami that he always thought he was. There was something else in those eyes. Something, he never noticed, even though everyone around him did. The Heart. Pride, confidence, power, responsibility, love and not a single tray of fear. That was the heart of a true noble, a true warrior, a true hero.

As he realized that, a new feeling filled up his chest. Byakuya finally felt at ease. He knew, that this little brat would protect his Pride better than he ever would. For the first time in a while, he let out a small, tiny smile

"I have underestimated you, brat. You truly are worthy."

Ichigo's eyes widened at the statement. He would have never expected Byakuya to say that kind of a thing to him, of all people. He smiled as he lowered Zangetsu

"Thanks, byakuya."

"That's still Kuchiki taichou for you" Byakuya"s expression quickly came back to its normal indifference as he sheathed his sword.

"Yeah, whatever, let's go back before Rukia starts to worry." Ichigo replied as he shifted to shikai, placed it on his back and took off without another word.

"As he disappeared, byakuya looked up on the cloudy sky and murmured

"Why him, of all people?"

The two of them appeared near the cafe that they had taken off from. Of course no one was there. Byakuya then looked at his torn up robe and missing hayori.

"I definitely cant show my self to everyone when I'm beat up like this, I better go to SS." He opened a senkaimon, looked at Ichigo and said

"You better keep your word, Kurosaki Ichigo" he frowned, as Ichigo glared at him and said

"I don't throw around statements like that. And you better start believing in me, Kuchiki Byakuya"

Byakuya only nodded and took a step towards the senkaimon.

As Ichigo looked around he noticed that everyone was in the park. They have surrounded Rukia, whose face was in deep red color. She exhaled in relief when she saw Ichigo coming to her, she was definitely going to kill him for leaving her behind like that.

"Do you know what I went through while you were playing with my brother? And where is he anyway?"

"Aw, he returned to SS, he said he had some urgent business to do"

"And did you... Settle everything?" Rukia looked at Ichiho with eyes full of hope.

"What did you think?" he smirked arrogantly.

"Yokatta(I'm so glad)" she said as she gently smiled, the way that only she could.

Ichigo's face softened as he saw that smile he loved so much. He just couldn't hold back and he gently kissed her on the lips. He totally forgot that he was standing in the middle of all their friends. Aw but they did remind of themselves by a loud cheer right after Ichigo started kissing Rukia. Their faces turned red in an instant. To escape this hell, Ichigo tightly hugged Rukia and flash stepped as far as he could from there.

"Aaaww I think we embarrassed them" Yoruichi said with a sorry look.

"At least they're alone now. That means I might be having grand kids soo- MFFF" Isshin groaned in pain as Karin fly kicked him in the face.

"Dad enough with your weird jokes!" she said with a major blush on her face.

"What's there to be embarrassed about? It's just natural for lovers to have -"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Karin gave him an uppercut from below sending Isshin flying.

The rumble continued and laughs were heard all over the place, but Ichigo and Rukia were already too far to hear all of those. They were on the top of their school building. They were sitting there, leaning on the wall. Ichigo gently embraced her as they were watching the fast clouds.

"Why did you that, dummy?" Rukia quietly asked, almost whispered with a tiny smile on her face

"When I saw that pretty smile of yours, I just couldn't hold back"

"You really are an idiot" Rukia chuckled as she saw Ichigo frowning.

"But you are MY idiot" she said as she sat on his legs right in front of him. Ichigo's legs were stretched out, and Rukia was sitting right on his laps, wig her legs bent on each side if Ichigo. Blush started to crawl on his face as he realized how intimate the position was. But he quickly got over his embarrassment and wrapped his hands around her waist. Rukia wrapped her hands around his neck. They sat like that for awhile and finally Rukia leaned forward to kiss him. Ichigo was about to lean forward as well, but then he remembered something. He gently put his index finger on her cute lips and whispered

"I still need to hear that from you, midget"

Rukia's eyes widened for a moment but then she smiled, leaned forward to his ear so that he couldn't see her face that was reddening by the moment and whispered more sincere and gentle that ever in her life

"I love you, Ichigo, and don't you ever let go of me"

Ichigo closed his eyes and smiled

"I know I would never do that, idiot" as he hugged her tightly to his chest

Later that evening his family prepared a feast. They invited all of their friends to celebrate the reunion and the new couple. Isshin was almost dancing around the table as he was serving the food to everyone.

"Well, aren't you in a really good mood today?" Ichigo looked annoyed by his dad's behavior. Well, he always was, but today there was something… extra weird about his dad. He was definitely planning something mischievous.

"How can I not be in a good mood? Everyone finally gathered together after more than a year, and you finally made something right in your life. HOW CAN I NOT BE HAPPY?" Isshin shouted the last words as he spread his arms in an attempt to hug his son. Of course, his face quickly met his son's strong fist.

Later that evening when Karin and Yuzu with Jinta and Ururu went to Urahara's place for an overnight, Isshin brought out the wine.

"I thought you said there would be sake, Isshin" Yoruichi complained in a whining voice.

"It's not for us, we're going out. Tonight we stay at Urahara's" Isshin smirked as Ichigo raised his eyebrow.

"The hell? Why don't you let everyone stay here instead?"

"Aw but there isn't enough space for everyone, and Urahara has a lot of rooms at his place, and since we won't be able to walk anywhere after all that sake that Urahara prepared, it's wiser to just stay there, no?" his father was grinning throughout the speech, which only further annoyed Ichigo

"Yeah, whatever, just go already. And what makes you think that we'll drink this anyway?" Ichigo stared at the full glass of wine that his father filled.

"Aw come on don't be such a baby. Aw, there are three more bottles in the ref, keep that in mind. Anyway, we're going, have fun, everyone" Isshin said as he walked out the house, Yoruichi, Ryuken Urahara and Tessai followed, leaving behind Ichigo, Rukia, Uryuu, Orihime, Renji, Chad and Tatsuki. They sat in silence for a while, uncertain of what to do, but finally Ichigo raised his glass and said

"It's nice to finally gather together after being separated for so long. I hope we won't be separated for such a long time ever again. Cheers"

"Cheers!" everyone brought their glasses together with a wonderful sound. The wine loosened them up a bit, and they finally started to talk. The stress that piled up in those few days concerning the fullbringers, finally went away. They kept talking for hours, emptying bottles one by one.

"Ahhaha, guys, do you remember when I got Ichigo his sould candy, Kon, for the first time, and he kissed Tatsuki and Inoue?" Rukia was laughing as she suddenly felt that everyone around her went silent.

"H-he w-what?" Tatsuki almost spit out the wine that she was drinking at that time.

"I don't remember anything like that…" Inoue blushed and Ishida frowned at Ichigo

"You don't?" Rukia looked confused as she looked at Ichigo. He covered his face with his palm, his head down.

"I think that's called a face palm!" Rukia cheerfully thought to herself. Then something hit her-she remembered that she was the one that erased all of their memories, and that Ichigo was concerned with his image or something. She quickly thought of a way to fix all of this. As Ichigo kept his eyes hidden, she brought out the memory eraser and flashed it in front of everyone. Ichigo opened his eyes, seeing that all of his friends were laughing again.

"You did _that_ didn't you?"

"Yep!" Rukia was looking pretty happy "Aw, I remember now, you were so concerned over a kiss that day, and said that it was nothing more than a formal greeting." Rukia looked up, as if trying to remember something

"Aw really, you still think that? Well then, how about his?" Ichigo gently held her chin with his two fingers and brought her face closer to his. He gave her a long, deep kiss, and then he finally pulled away, smiling at Rukia that was blushing slightly.

"You should have said that a long time ago, idiot" Rukia looked away with a smile, still blushing.

"Aw shut up, midget"

They kept talking, laughing, arguing, and just having fun until Ishida noticed that it was already 2 am in the morning. Everyone was unhappy with that but they agreed that it was time to go home. Ishida suggested to walk Orihime home and she accepted with a smile. Later on she confessed to Rukia that they kissed that night, which didn't really surprise Rukia as she was suspecting that they loved each other for a long time. After Inoue left with Ishida, Renji went to Uraharas place, and Chad went with Tatsuki since they were living not far from each other. So in the end it was only Ichigo and Rukia left alone in the house. Ichigo finally realized that it was his father's idea all along. He wasn't sure whether to curse or thank him for that. They decided that they didn't really want to sleep so they decided to watch some kind of a crappy movie. So now Ichigo was seating on the couch with Rukia. His right hand was wrapped around her as he was gently holding her fragile shoulder. Ichigo watched at the screen as some noisy girl was crying as she was dumped by her boyfriend. He rolled his eyes as he said

"Do you really enjoy this, midge-" he didn't finish as he saw that Rukia already fell asleep in his embrace. He felt her warm breath, her steady heartbeat. She looked so defenseless, so fragile. So different from the usual image that she was trying to show everyone. Ichigo smiled as he kissed her head

"Mmm, her hair smells good" he thought. Then he gently put her on the couch and was about to walk away when he felt a pair of little hands on his shoulders.

"I told you not to leave me, dummy" he heard a sleepy, disappointed voice. He turned around to see Rukia with a messed up hair as she bit her lower lip. He took a step forward and grabbed her like a princes- his left arm wad holding her bent legs ad his right hand supported her back. A little blush appeared on Rukia's cheeks as she said quietly

"Let go, dummy" Ichigo kissed her cheek and said

"You told me not to, idiot" he smiled as Rukia looked away to hide her growing blush. He walked up the stairs, right into his room. He stopped in the doorway, not sure where should he put her- closet or maybe...

"I don't want to sleep in that tiny closet tonight..." she read his mind and replied in advance

"Did you HAVE to use the word 'tiny'?"

"Aw shut up, strawberry" she said as she kissed him.

He had nothing left to do but to obey. He slowly walked up to his bed and gently put her on top of it. He slowly laid beside her, not pulling away from her lips. He felt her hand on his abs And he couldn't hold back the comment in his head "So you do like them, huh?" his eyes snapped as he felt as she grabbed his hand and placed it on her ch.. ch... chest! He looked at her, but she tightly shut her eyes. If had a clear head he would probably pull away, but the wine did it's job and that was also a part of his father's plan.

"Wait, are we really going to...!" he thought as a billion thoughts crossed his mind. Rukia on the other hand was thinking of the same thing

"Is it the right time? Should we really?.."

They were both cut off as they heard a deafening scream

"Ichigo! Dot you dare do anything to my nee-sama!" they both saw Kon with a frying pan in his hands. The remaining alcohol in their blood dried up that instant. They both quickly stood up, and Ichigo murmured "We weren't going to..." he looked at Rukia for a second to see her blushing face and when he was about to say anything else he felt cold metal hit his face like a hammer. He sat back down on his bed while holding onto his nose

"You little bastard!" he was definitely going to kill Kon, but he already disappeared.

"I swear, when I find him, I'll..!"

"Don't sweat it, Ichigo" he felt a warm hand on his lap

"Let's go to sleep, ok?" Rukia said as she kissed his cheek and layed down.

"Yeah, you're right... Goodnight, midget" Ichigo walked up to his closet to change to something comfortable to sleep in. He wore some kind of shorts and a clean t-shirt. He laid down beside Rukia, when he felt her standing up

"Come to think of it, I didn't change to my pajamas either" she walked to Yuzu's room and after a while Ichigo heard a whining voice

"Hey ichigo, I can't fit in your sisters clothes anymore... What do I do?.."

Ichigo thought for a moment and then he remembered something. He got up and walked to his father's room. He got to mom's old closet. He searched inside for a while, and finally found what he was looking for- nice blue pajamas. He walked to Yuzu's room. He totally forgot that Rukia was wearing only her underwear, so he stepped in without knocking. He saw her inside, wearing her blue bra and panties, as she was trying to find something in Yuzu's closet. He quickly covered his eyes with his free hand and said

"Here you go, this was my moms. My father has a tradition, more like a weird habit to wash all of moms clothes once a month, so don't worry, those are clean"

"Didn't your dad teach you to knock? Thanks anyway" she smiled as she took the pajama from an embarrassed Ichigo. He quickly left, and laid down on his bed. In a short while he saw Rukia coming inside, wearing the pajamas that he gave to her. She looked a little awkward as it was a little big for her.

"Are you sure th- this is okay?" she looked at Ichigo with a rather lost look

"Yeah, you look great in it" Ichigo let out a soft smile.

"Thanks"

"Go to sleep already, idiot" Ichigo said as he buried his head in the pillow. Rukia laid down beside him, and then she realized

"Hey, there's only one blanket" she whispered

"Aw, right, wait here, lemme get you one"

"Nah, never mind, I think we'll manage" she said as she crawled under Ichigo's blanket, he felt as she placed her head on his chest, her hand on his stomach and wrapped her leg around his. He embraced her and kissed her forehead

"Goodnight, rukia"

"Goodnight, Ichigo, I lov..." she couldn't finish as she felt asleep on his warm chest. She never felt more secure, more loved than when she was with him. Ichigo smiled and placed his head right next to her.

"I love you too, rukia"

It was already noon when they woke up in the same position. What awoke them was the worst sound in the world for those two. It was a click of a camera. Ichigo opened his eyes and he felt a chill up his spine. His father was standing there with a huge grin on his face, looking at the picture he had taken.

"My boy finally became a man! Aw, you two look great together!" I'll go show this pic to everyone..."

"Don't you dare, old man." Ichigo looked furious, if you can call a half sleepy angry expression-furious.

"And who's gonna stop m-" he was shut as a scoop hit his head. And someone's little hand grabbed the camera.

"Yuzu! Why did you do that to your own father?" Isshin asked in a faked crying voice.

"Dad, there are things you can and cannot do no someone. This isn't something you should be picturing and spreading. Although I admit, they do look cute together..." Yuzu winked to Rukia and disappeared as fast as appeared.

"Dad, nothing happened, we just went to sleep together." Ichigo said in an annoyed voice as he went back to sleep

"Aw, how so?" Isshin looked confused-his plan should've worked out perfectly...

"Aw just shut up and get out!" Ichigo remembered how Kon intruded, and he let out his anger on his dad as hd threw a nearby pillow in him. Isshin quickly got out and closed the door behind him. But then he reopened it and said with a serious look

"You know, its alright if you couldn't do it the first time, fear affects the-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP" Isshin quickly closed the door behind him, and didn't appear again.

"Can't we for once just sleep peacefully?" he looked at Rukia with disappointed eyes.

She gracefully traced her finger on his cheek and whispered

"Time to get up, my knight"

"Knight? Hmm, I like that. Well then, let me escort you, my dear princess, to the dining section of my palace" Ichigo got up and started to walk towards the door as a pillow hit his head. He turned around, just to have another pillow hit his face. He saw a laughing rukia that was holding onto her stomach to cease the pain from the immense laughing. Ichigo picked up the pillow that landed right before him and threw it right in Rukia's head. That "gesture" took Rukia by surprise, she almost fell off the bed.

"Why you little..." she growled

"I think you meant "why I'm little?" Ichigo laughed as he saw rukia clench her fists

"I'll freaking kill you strawberry!"

"It's good to see that you two haven't changed" a voice said. The two of them looked up to see Rangiku's head.

"Rangiku-san, what are you doing here?" Rukia asked

"In MY room" ichigo added.

"Aw ichigo don't be such a meanie! You've got such a wonderful girlfriend anyway! Do you have any idea what she went through to get those breasts that you were staring at earlier?"

"I w- wasn't st- staring!" Ichigo's face instantly flooded with red.

"Yeeaah, right. Anyway, I have a message from Kuchiki-taicho to Rukia. He wants you in SS by today noon."

"What?" ichigo and rukia asked simultaneously.

"He says if you are to be paired up with the Kurosaki brat he needs to teach you bankai."

"Nii-sama.." rukia mumbled

"I can train with you too, you know" Ichigo looked desperate.

"No, it's ok. I want to do this with brother, and then I'll come back to show you my new power. I don't want you to protect me Ichigo, I never did. I want to stand beside, not behind you. And I will. Don't worry about me so much, dummy." Ichigo didn't reply, he only gave a little nod, then he turned to Matsumoto

"But why send you here just for a message?"

"Aw, I volunteered. I dont often get to the real world, you know. This is a good chance to buy some nice clothes, ooooh, I can already smell all the nice dresses." Rangiku shivered in delight.

Later that day Ichigo was standing there with Rukia near a senkaimon that she opened.

"This isn't fare that you leave so soon after just coming back. Visit at least once a week, will ya?" Ichigo said with concern

"Ah. I know you attained bankai in almost three days, but my brother said that it'll take me about a month."

"Doesn't it usually take 10 years for an ordinary shinigami?"

"Whom are you calling ordinary?" rukia frowned, buy she quickly got over it

"Don't get yourself in trouble while I'm away, got that?" she smiled, as Ichigo held her waist and bent over to kiss her. As always, they put all of their feelings into the kiss. Now it was gentle, almost sad, as they knew that they wouldn't see each other for a while now. Finally Rukia pulled away and stepped into the senkaimon after her hell butterfly, without another word.

As the gate closed, Ichigo walked to Urahara's shop. He went inside to see the owner sitting on the floor, drinking tea with Tessai.

"Well, If it isn't Kurosaki kun, how can I help you this time?" he said with his usual easy-go-lucky attitude.

"I want to train" Ichigo had a steel face, his eyes weren't seen from the bangs.

"Train? But Kurosaki, I'm not sure what exactly can I-" not with you, Urahara-san, but with Tessei-san

"Me?" tessei looked a little confused

"I know you have been the kidou corps captain, and no one ever was able to surpass you." Ichigo kneeled and bowed to him

"Please train me in kidou arts tessai-san!"

Yeah, sorry everyone for the late update ^_^

now, as I promised, here is the appreciation corner

First, thank you EVERYONE, you have no idea how much your reviews mean to me, so please continue! ^_^

2coolforyou, dude, your reviews make my day! I'm serious, whenever I see your comments they just make me wanna write more, you know. And if there would be no one else that would read this story, I would still continue it just for amazing people like you ^_^

BosRonald, i appreciate you reviews, really, I need that kind of comments to correct me, because I am definitely not doing the best possible job, thanks for counceling ^_^


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